The Futur with Chris Do

Henry Kaminski Jr. is a self-taught graphic designer and brand consultant. Over the past decade he’s built a multi-million dollar design business. But the road there was filled with rusty nails. Some of which were ready to force him off the road and into a ditch. In this episode, Henry shares his origin story. From surviving his tumultuous youth to earning his first million. Since he and Chris are close, it feels like you’re listening to old friends having a sincere—and at times difficult—candid conversation. Chris and Henry talk about the dynamics of business, family and how when the two overlap it can lead to a lifetime of trouble and heartache. Think of this conversation as part business story, part therapy. It’s rare that we’re able to be this vulnerable on our show and a kind reminder that we can learn a lot when we do allow ourselves to be. Sponsored by Storyblocks - storyblocks.com/futur Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Are you familiar with the term “golden handcuffs”? It’s a phrase that refers to financial incentives given to employees to make them stick around. Because when you have everything you need, why would you ever want to leave?In this episode, we talk with illustrator, graphic designer, and Futur Pro Group member, Anthony Banks who—at the time this was recorded in 2018—was considering a big career move.But he is conflicted. His job is stable. It pays well. All of which is good for his family.For all intents and purposes, Anthony is doing just fine.But is fine enough? Or, without any room to grow in his current position, is he riding a slow boat to nowhere?The conversation you’re about to hear is from 2018. The world feels like a different place now, but our the dilemma remains the same: are golden handcuffs worth it?We do the math and find out.SponsorsSkillshare - https://skillshare.com/futurBetterHelp - https://betterhelp.com/futurLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to another special episode format we call Hey Chris. We take listener submitted questions and make Chris answer them on the spot. No reading them ahead of time. No preparation. No time to think. Just a candid conversation between Chris Do and Greg Gunn.In this episode we answer four unique questions about topics like how to apply value based pricing (and when not to), positioning your business, whether to spend your time learning or doing, and and how to find your purpose.Have a question for Chris? Visit thefutur.com/heychris and ask away.This episode is sponsored by Storyblocks - https://www.storyblocks.com/futurLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When he would get sent to detention, he’d spend his time there drawing for hours. And despite growing up in a super small town in South Carolina, he had access to an amazing art program. With the help of a nurturing mother, and a lot of talent and hustle, Douglas worked his way into a design career but always wanted more. He had spent a lot of his life creating, but came to a point where he wanted to explore the business side as well, and moved into strategy.In this week's conversation, Chris talks to Douglas about growing up and going to school with very few resources, moving into the world of strategy and the value it has provided both for Douglas's clients and himself, and Douglas's hustle as a teacher, bringing up a new generation.Douglas shares his unique perspective on life itself and how important it is to do what you love. “Life is long,” Douglas says. “Do you want to spend your life going to a job you hate?”After completing an arts program from Hampton University, Douglas took his resume and experience and applied to Pratt Institute in Brooklyn. He studied communication design and discovered the problem-solving capabilities of graphic design. During his time at Pratt, Douglas was inspired to teach and work in the industry he had grown to love so much.When he was just 22 years old, Douglas was found and hired at Juno Online Services, but lost the job a year later when a recession hit. Then, when he was kicked out of his apartment at 25 years old, he became an adjunct professor.With so many forces going against him, Douglas persevered through curveball after curveball. He learned to hustle and keep going despite the scarcity of opportunities. Douglas’s story is nothing short of inspiring. We highly encourage you to listen and hear how he turned from designer to strategist, to now teach other creatives the business of design.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Copywriting is hard. Which is why we always appreciate great copy when we see it. It’s usually simple, clear, and tickles your brain if written well.Cole Schafer is a creative writer. By day he runs a small advertising business called Honey Copy. By night, he writes and publishes poetry under the alias, January Black.He’s got a lot to say and he does it without mincing words. But in a way that will make you smirk.In this episode, Cole and Chris talk about the nuance and challenges of language and how to wield it with grace. We’ll hear about how he found writing, why he left a well-paying agency job for manual labor, and how to name a $15 cookie so that people will happily buy it.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Have you ever heard someone say that an idea “has legs”? What they mean is that the idea can endure and stay relevant over time. Because that’s what good ideas do—they stick around.Jason Harris is the CEO and co-founder of acclaimed ad agency, Mekanism. They do fantastic and progressive work for some of the best clients around. Brands like Peleton, Jose Cuervo, and Ben & Jerry’s.As a seasoned ad man, Jason knows a good idea when he sees it. And he knows how to present that idea to a client while be a true collaborator in the process.In this episode, Jason shares what he’s learned from running an agency for over 15 years. He talks about the power of branding, building community, and why great storytelling is at the heart of his agency’s success.It’s not often we get to speak with people in Jason’s shoes. If you work at agency—or aspire to start your own some day—then pay attention to this one. Because to survive and thrive, it takes more than just putting out great work.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you’ve followed us for a while, then you’ve probably heard the name Blair Enns a few times. Blair is a business consultant, speaker and author of the acclaimed book, The Win Without Pitching Manifesto. And if you were to ask Chris Do what one book you should read is, it would be that one.We’ve had Blair on the show before, but we wanted to share this deep dive livestream with you because it’s filled with invaluable information. The insights that Blair shares and the perspective he offers is unmatched. You can actually hear Chris’s giddiness during their conversation.They cover a lot of ground in this talk. Discussing things like specializing vs generalizing, how to measure the value you bring to the table, pricing the client not the job and, of course, value based pricing.But the best part is that these are universal business concepts. You’ll find them everywhere outside of the creative industry, but Blair does a fantastic job of contextualizing them for people like us—the creative professional.We suggest listening to the episode once, all the way through. Then on another day, listen to it again. But this time, take notes.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dustin Lee is the founder of RetroSupply Co, a marketplace for retro brushes, textures, fonts, and more. Over the years, he’s carved out a unique position in the creative tool market.When you search for retro or vintage brushes for Illustrator, Photoshop, and Procreate you’re going to bump into his website. It's a great example of finding your niche.Dustin’s conversation with Chris centers around how creatives can start to think about passive income. But unlike a lot of other talks you have heard or read on the subject, Dustin gets into tactics. Like how to choose the right product, building something that stands out, and overcoming the aversion to marketing.If you're interested in using your creative skills to generate passive income, then this episode will make you happy. Grab your notebook (or laptop) and get ready to take notes.Thank you to Gusto for sponsoring this episode.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices